Transom mounted ski rack and tow rope reel support

ABSTRACT

A pair of upright support standards are provided for mounting from opposite side portions of a boat transom with the lower ends of the standards disposed immediately rearward of the transom. The upper end portions of the standards are forwardly displaced relative to the lower end portions thereof and the upper end portions include forwardly projecting vertically spaced pairs of horizontally aligned shelf members for supporting the opposite ends of water skis extending between the upright standards. The upper rear portions of the standards include horizontally aligned rearwardly projecting and upwardly opening hooks for removable support of a boarding ladder therefrom and one of the standards includes a mount, below the lowermost shelf member thereon, for removably supporting a reel upon which a water ski rope may be wound. Also, each of the shelf members includes a clamp structure operatively associated therewith whereby the ski or skis supported from each pair of horizontally aligned shelf members may be clamped thereon.

United States Patent 11 1 Simmonds Dec. 16, 1975 TRANSOM MOUNTED SKI RACK AND TOW ROPE REEL SUPPORT I [76] Inventor: Harold V. Simmonds, RR. #4,

Box l45, Greenville, 111. 62246 221 Filed: Sept. 18,1974

21 Appl. No.: 507,069

52 u.s.c1. 9/1 D; 9/1 c; 9/310 A; 114/235 W5 51 Im. c1. ..A63C 11/00 [58] Field of Search 114/235 WS; 9/310 R, l R, 9/1 C, 1 D; 211/60 SK; 224/29 R, 42.03, 45

Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Assistant ExaminerGregory W. OConnor Attorney, Agent, or FirmClarence A. OB'rien; Harvey B. Jacobson 57 ABSTRACT A pair of upright support standards are provided for mounting from opposite side portions of a boat transom with the lower ends of the standards disposed immediately rearward of the transom. The upper end portions of the standards are forwardly displaced relative to the lower end portions thereof and the upper end portions include forwardly projecting vertically spaced pairs of horizontally aligned shelf members for supporting the opposite ends of water skis extending between the upright standards. The upper rear portions of the standards include horizontally aligned rearwardly projecting and upwardly opening hooks for removable support of a boarding ladder therefrom and one of the standards includes a mount, below the lowermost shelf member thereon, for removably supporting a reel upon which a water ski rope may be wound. Also, each of the shelf members includes a clamp structure operatively associated therewith whereby the ski or skis supported from each pair of horizontally aligned shelf members may be clamped thereon.

9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures .lll 17 Illa Frill U.S. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,925,836

TRANSOM MOUNTED SKI RACK AND TOW ROPE REEL SUPPORT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When a runabout boat is to be used for water skiing purposes three or more persons are usually aboard during travel from the dock to the location in which the water skiing is to take place. Substantially all state laws require that a boat used for water skiing have an operator for the boat over 12 years of age and also an observer on the boat who must also be at least 12 years of age. Accordingly, whenever a person is skiing three people are involved including the skier, the boat operator and the boat observer. Of course, in most instances at least one or two additional persons will be included on each boat during a water skiing outing and if each person water skis it is likely that each person will have his own pair of water skis. In addition, one skier may not only use conventional water skis but also a slalom water ski as well as trick skis. Thus it may be seen that a skiing party including three or four persons may also include five or six pairs of water skis.

While most runabouts have storage spaces under the boat gunwales in which water skis may be transported, the boat must also include as part of its equipment various forms of safety items such as a life preserver for each person aboard, a fire extinguisher and other pieces of safety equipment. Further, if good boating practices are followed a boat will also include at least one anchor, dock and anchor lines and also such additional items as a first aid kit and supply of fresh water. All of this equipment in addition to lunch baskets and coolers is quite often difficult to store in all but the largest runabouts in a manner such that the three, four or five persons aboard may move about the boat in safety in the event of an emergency or other situation requiring such movement.

As a result of the necessity to utilize substantially all storage space along the gunwales for storing all of the aforementioned equipment other than five or six pairs of water skis, storage space for the water skis is sometimes unavailable except on the inner floor or deck of the runabout. However, such storage of numerous pairs of water skis presents a safety hazard in the event that it is necessary for one or more persons aboard the boat to move about the latter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The ski rack and tow rope reel support of the instant invention has been specifically designed for mounting from the exterior of the transom of a runabout and includes structure for supporting numerous pairs of water skis in vertically spaced relation with the skis extending transversely of the boat transom and disposed to the rear of a vertical plane containing the reannost extremity of the cockpit of the boat.

Various types of support racks including some of the basic structural features of the instant invention have been heretofore designed, but these previouslyk'nown support racks are not specifically adapted for "use in supporting water skis from the transom of a runabout. Some of these previously designed support racks are disclosed in us. Pat. Nos. 325,986, 936,031, 1,308,570, 2,602,605, 3,018,897, 3,155,238, 3,215,361, 3,248,027, 3,483,996 and 3,527,354.

The main object'of this invention is to provide a support rack which will be capable of storing'not only a plurality of 'pairs of water skis but also a water ski tow rope reel and a boarding ladder in position fromvthe stern of a runabout with the supported items spaced rearwardly of an upstanding transverse plane containing the rear of the cockpit of the associated boat.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rack in accordance with the immediately preceding object and constructed in a manner whereby a lower portion thereof may be permanently attached to the associated boat and the upper portion thereof, from which the various ski equipment is to be supported, may be removed from supportive engagement with the lower portion of the rack in order that substantially all portions of the rack projecting above the deck of the boat may be removed, if desirable, during trailering operations.

Another very important object of this invention is to provide a support rack in accordance with the preceding objects and including structural features whereby the rack may be readily mounted on substantially all types of runabout boats. I

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a transom mounted ski rack and tow rope reel support in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively troublefree in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 'operatively associated with the transom of the runabout;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1; I

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5-5 of FIG. 2; 7

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of upright structure which may be utilized in pairs to construct a rack in accordance with the present invention; and

' FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of one of the uprights illustrating the manner in which an associated shelf and clamp member is mounted thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a conventional form of outboard runabout including a transom 12 from which an outboard motor referred to in general by the reference numeral 14 is supported. The upper portion of the central stern area of the boat includes an outboard motor well 16 for receiving the power head 18 of the outboard motor 14 when the motor 14 is tilted forwardly and the upper extremity of the transom 12 is defined by a horizontal deck surface 18.

The rack construction of the instant invention is referred to in general by the reference numeral 20 and includes a pair of uprights 22 including lower portions 24 and upper portions 26. Each lower portion is generally Z-shaped in configuration and includes an upstanding lower end 28 terminating upwardly in a forwardly directed generally horizontal intermediate or mid portion 30 and the forward end of the intermediate portion 30 terminates in an upwardly directed upper end 32 having a diametric pin 34 secured therethrough a spaced distance from the upper terminal end thereof. The lower portion 24 of each standard or upright 22 is tubular and the upper portion 26 is also of tubular construction. A connecting sleeve 36 is telescoped downwardly onto the upper temiinal end of each upper end 32 and rests upon the corresponding diametric pin 34 and the lower terminal end of each upper portion 26 is telescoped downwardly into the upper end of the corresponding connecting sleeve 36 and abutted against the upper terminal end of the corresponding upper end 30.

The lower end portion 38 of one of the upper portions 26 includes a sleeve mounting bracket 40 secured to its outer side and the depending leg 42 of an L- shaped support bracket 44 is removably telescoped into the mounting bracket 40 for support therefrom. The support bracket 44 rotatably journals a tow rope reel 46.

The upper ends of the upper portion 26 include L- shaped mounting brackets 50 from which a boarding ladder 52 may be removably supported and the upper portions 26 include vertically spaced pairs of horizontally aligned forwardly projecting shelves 54 secured thereto by means of fasteners 56 and each shelf 54 has a spring clamp 58 operatively associated therewith and supported from the corresponding upper portion 26 immediately above the corresponding shelf by means of the same fastener 56. As may best be seen from FIG. 2 of the drawings the spring clips 58 are normally bowed and the free forward end of each shelf 54 includes a pivotally supported bail-type catch 60 releasably engageable with the forward end of the corresponding spring clamp 58. i

It may be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings that each pair of horizontally registered shelves 54 may be utilized to support a pair of water skis 62 extending between the upper portions 26 and that the spring clamps 58 may be latched in the operative positions by means of the bail-type catches or latches to securely retain the water skis 62 on their respective shelves.

With attention now invited more specifically to FIG. 2 of the drawings it may be seen that the lower ends 28 of the lower portions 24 are supported from the transom 12 by means of fasteners 64 secured through the transom l2 and having spaced threaded nuts 66 thereon between which the corresponding portions of the lower ends 28 are clamped. Also, from FIG. 4 of the drawings it may be noted that the sleeves 36 may be upwardly displaced to the phantom line positions sponding to the portions 24 and which may also be supported from the transom 12 by means of the fasteners 64 and nuts 66. However, the standards 22 are provided with upper portions 26 corresponding to the upper portions 26 with which intermediate portions 30' corresponding to the intermediate portions 30 are formed integrally. The rear ends of the intermediate portions 30 include downturned terminal ends 31 which are removably telescopedin the upper ends of the lower portions 24. Of course, shelves corresponding to the shelves 54 and spring clamps corresponding to the spring clamps 58 may be supported from the upper portions 26 and the upper ends of the upper portions 26 include boarding ladder supporting mounting brackets 50' corresponding to the mounting brackets 50.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A support rack for water skis and the like to be stored exteriorly of the cockpit of a boat, said rack comprising a pair of uprights having upper and lower end portions and including mounting meanson their lower end portions for support of said uprights in, a stationary manner from opposite side portions of the rear of a boat hull, the upper end portions of said uprights including vertically spaced .pairs of horizontally aligned forwardly projecting shelves, each of said shelves including releasable, clamp means for clampingly engaging the corresponding end portion of a water ski supported therefrom and having its other end supported from the corresponding shelf .ofthe other upright, said mounting means includesa plurality of elongated front to rear extending mounting studs adjustably secured through said lower end portions and including forward ends adapted to be secured through the transom of a boat.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upper end portions include upper terminal end portions, a pair of rearwardly projecting and upwardly opening hooks supported from the upper terminal end portions of said uprights adapted to removably support opposite end portions of a horizontally disposed boarding ladder extending between said uprights therefrom.

3. A support rack for water skis to be stored to the rear of the cockpit of a boat, said rack comprising a pair of laterally spaced uprights including front and rear sides and corresponding upper and lower end portions, said upper end portions being forwardly displaced relative to said lower end portions and said uprights including front to rear extending generally horizontal intermediate portions extending between and having their front and rear ends secured to the lower and upper extremities of the corresponding upper and lower end portions, respectively, said lower end portions including mounting means spaced therealong for mounting said lower end portions from opposite side portions of the transom of a boat with said lower end portions being disposed to the rear of the transom and under portions of said intermediate portions overlying and abutting adjacent upper surface portions of the deck of the boat spaced forwardly of the transom, the upper end portions of said uprights including vertically spaced pairs of horizontally aligned forwardly projecting shelves, each of said shelves including releasable clamp means for clampingly engaging the corresponding end portion of a water ski supported therefrom and having its other end supported from the corresponding shelf of the other upright.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said upper end portions include lower extremities formed integrally with said forward ends of said intermediate portions and upper portions from which said shelves are removably supported from said lower extremities.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said lower end portions include upper extremities formed integrally with said rear ends of said intermediate portions and lower portions including said mounting means from which said upper extremities are removably sup ported.

6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said uprights include forwardly extending intermediate portions from whose forward ends the lower portions of said upper end portions are supported and whose rear ends are supported from the upper ends of said lower end portions.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said upper end portions include lower extremities formed integrally with said forward ends of said intermediate portions and upper portions from which said shelves are removably supported from said lower extremities.

8. The combination of claim 6 wherein said lower end portions include upper extremities formed integrally with said rear ends of said intermediate portions and lower portions including said mounting means from which said upper extremities are removably supported.

9. The combination of claim 3 wherein said mounting means includes a plurality of elongated front to rear extending mounting studs adjustably secured through said lower end portions and including forward ends adapted to be secured through the transom of the boat. 

1. A support rack for water skis and the like to be stored exteriorly of the cockpit of a boat, said rack comprising a pair of uprights having upper and lower end portions and including mounting means on their lower end portions for support of said uprights in a stationary manner from opposite side portions of the rear of a boat hull, the upper end portions of said uprights including vertically spaced pairs of horizontally aligned forwardly projecting shelves, each of said shelves including releasable clamp means for clampingly engaging the corresponding end portion of a water ski supported therefrom and having its other end supported from the corresponding shelf of the other upright, said mounting means includes a plurality of elongated front to rear extending mounting studs adjustably secured through said lower end portions and including forward ends adapted to be secured through the transom of a boat.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upper end portions include upper terminal end portions, a pair of rearwardly projecting and upwardly opening hooks supported from the upper terminal end portions of said uprights adapted to removably support opposite end portions of a horizontally disposed boarding ladder extending between said uprights therefrom.
 3. A support rack for water skis to be stored to the rear of the cockpit of a boat, said rack comprising a pair of laterally spaced uprights including front and rear sides and corresponding upper and lower end portions, said upper end portions being forwardly displaced relative to said lower end portions and said uprights including front to rear extending generally horizontal intermediate portions extending between and having their front and rear ends secured to the lower and upper extremities of the corresponding upper and lower end portions, respectively, said lower end portions including mounting means spaced therealong for mounting said lower end portions from opposite side portions of the transom of a boat with said lower end portions being disposed to the rear of the transom and under portions of said intermediate portions overlying and abutting adjacent upper surface portions of the deck of the boat spaced forwardly of the transom, the upper end portions of said uprights including vertically spaced pairs of horizontally aligned forwardly projecting shelves, each of said shelves including releasable clamp means for clampingly engaging the corresponding end portion of a water ski supported therefrom and having its other end supported from the corresponding shelf of the other upright.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said upper end portions include lower extremities formed integrally with said forward ends of said intermediate portions and upper portions from which said shelves are removably supported from said lower extremities.
 5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said lower end portions include upper extremities formed integralLy with said rear ends of said intermediate portions and lower portions including said mounting means from which said upper extremities are removably supported.
 6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said uprights include forwardly extending intermediate portions from whose forward ends the lower portions of said upper end portions are supported and whose rear ends are supported from the upper ends of said lower end portions.
 7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said upper end portions include lower extremities formed integrally with said forward ends of said intermediate portions and upper portions from which said shelves are removably supported from said lower extremities.
 8. The combination of claim 6 wherein said lower end portions include upper extremities formed integrally with said rear ends of said intermediate portions and lower portions including said mounting means from which said upper extremities are removably supported.
 9. The combination of claim 3 wherein said mounting means includes a plurality of elongated front to rear extending mounting studs adjustably secured through said lower end portions and including forward ends adapted to be secured through the transom of the boat. 